New Release – Luna (EP) by Kat Bryan
Kat Bryan is a Canadian Gothic electro pop singer-songwriter and producer. Kat was born and raised in Vancouver and has lived in Canada her whole life. With training in guitar, piano and voice, Kat has also taught herself to record and produce music developing an identifiable beautifully dark sound. Kat blends warm and soulful roots found in a love of classic jazz with vibrant and lush electronic instrumentation to skirt the edge of both electronic and pop genres. Her distinctly dark vibe is inspired by innovative artists like Nils Frahm, Sigur Ros, and Imogen Heap.
Her debut album ‘Music for the End of the World’ released on UK-based indie label AnalogueTrash, has been called “haunting”, with singles heralded as a “gothic Bond theme”. According to reviews this is “music that makes you FEEL something….evocative, thought-provoking lyricism, textural atmospheres, and remarkable vocals”.
Her EP ‘Luna’ will be out 1st September. Pre-save the album here.
How would you describe the album?
“‘Luna’ is my second release with AnalogueTrash following my full length album ‘Music for the End of the World’. Whereas the album was steeped in darkness, angst and the difficult emotions that come with processing trauma, ‘Luna’ comes from a decidedly brighter perspective. After two years of deep personal work and dealing with the childhood trauma that haunted me for so many years, I’m finally in a place where I can see the light. I still have my identifiable addiction to piano and synth, but in ‘Luna’ I have leaned less into the shadows of crunchy bass, and more into ethereal harmonies.”
“The imagery speaks to this theme as well, featuring a drawing of mine of a luna moth. Not only do moths represent seeking the light in the dark, but they are also symbolically linked to transformation and unexpected beauty. The five songs on ‘Luna’ all offer a more hopeful take on the future and speak to themes of strength, healing and bravery.”
What can you tell us about the cover art?
“The concept behind the cover art is mine, but I did work with a graphic artist to bring it all to life. The moth on the front is a scan of a pen drawing of mine, based off of a photograph of an actual luna moth. Behind that is an eclipse with that incredibly bright flare peaking out. I wanted the message of coming out of the darkness and finding the light to be really clear. On the back we created a graphic of the moon phases which is also about transition, the passage of time and new phases of life. Everything on ‘Luna’ is about change, growth, expansion and transformation. I also wanted the cover art to be simplified after the chaos of the art on ‘Music for the End of the World’. This shift in aesthetic is also a signifier of things changing.”
Could you pick a song on the EP and discuss how it came to be?
“One of my favourite tracks on the album is ‘Brave’. Musically it combines two of my favourite things, electronic production full of synths and drum machines, and organic, traditional piano and vocals. It also has a very strong message of following your heart and finding your brave. It speaks to the pieces of yourself, or in others, that you need to let go of in order to move to the next phase of your life. I choose to remove most of the additional instruments on the last verse, focusing more intently on piano and voice. I am so in love with the way it melts into this traditional concert hall style vibe, and allows the listener to really focus on the lyrics. There is a definitive break from the first and second halves on the song, which to me mirrors the theme of the song, of moving onto the next phase.”
What can you tell us about the lead single off the EP?
“The lead single off of ‘Luna’, titled ‘Armour’, is the anthem for reclaiming the light. It is the heaviest song of the five, featuring drum programming inspired by The Cure’s ‘Burn’. I became really obsessed with the repeating tom drums in ‘Burn’ and carved that into my own version. I wanted this song to sound like marching into battle. The main chorus refrains “I am fine”, which is a direct response to feedback on ‘Music for the End of the World’, where people expressed genuine concern for me and my mental wellbeing. I truly appreciated that people I had never met were able to connect so deeply with my songwriting as to be concerned for me, however by the time the album came out I was well on my way to being a much more complete and content person.”
“I wrote ‘Armour’ as a declaration of my strength after fighting through my demons. When you openly talk about mental health struggles, I think there can be an instinct for others to feel like they need to protect you, and need to be gentle with you. ‘Armour’ is about how if you’ve done the work, really faced the fire, asked yourself the hard questions and come through to the other side with a better understanding of yourself, you are probably one of the strongest people on the planet. I like to think of the scars we earn from trauma as signs of our ability to survive, not of our weakness in being hurt.”
‘Armour’ was released on August 4th and can be found here.
Are you planning any videos for your music? What movie should feature your music and why?
“I generally make my videos on my own, using whatever free resources I can lay my hands on. There is an official video for ‘Armour’, and I hope to make a few others for the rest of ‘Luna’. I’m also going on tour through the UK in September, so finding time for all of the things is tricky, but I hope I can get it all done.”
“But I like the part of this question about movies that should feature me, because this is absolutely a dream of mine. I think the haunting and dark vibes of a lot of my work would translate really well to film. In fact my first single from the album ‘Circus of the Living’ was called a “gothic Bond theme”, which I still love. I’d love to write a Bond theme, just to put that into the universe. But I also think that some of the darker comic book derived stories could work really well. Anything that takes place mostly at night, or has monsters or vampires or spirits in it, would suit me quite well I think.”
What message do you hope your music sends to listeners? What do you hope they can take away from your songs?
“I really hope that listeners connect with the message. My songs all come from my own pain, my own complicated feelings and my own sense of being alone in dealing with both of those things. Since I started talking more openly about my history with narcissistic abuse, I’ve realized just how many others out there have been through their own traumatic stories and are just craving feeling heard. I have been gifted the ability to turn my darkest thoughts and emotions into words and sounds, which has helped me process and heal. I hope that others who are or have been hurting are able to see themselves in what I’ve written and feel less alone. I also hope that through my music, and through my story, anyone going through a similar situation can see that it’s survivable, and that you can thrive on the other side of it all.”
